(Credit: Tim Gideon)
Apple announced its fourth generation AirPods during its Glowtime event on Monday and teased an upcoming hearing aid feature for the AirPods Pro 2.
Apple is releasing two different versions of the AirPods 4. The basic pair will cost $129, while a version with active noise cancellation (ANC) will cost $179. They're available for preorder now and launch on Sept. 20.
Apple has changed the shape and fit of its AirPods slightly, with the goal of making them more comfortable than previous generations. The tech giant also claims it's reengineered the audio in the AirPods 4 earbuds for better audio quality overall.
The AirPods 4 run Apple's H2 chip and come with a USB-C charging case. The ANC version supports Qi?certified chargers and includes a speaker so it can be more easily located via the Find My network. Its 10% smaller than the previous case and should offer 30 hours of battery life (20 hours with ANC).
The AirPods 4 will support the "voice isolation" feature coming in iOS 18 that promises to silence background sounds, music, or other disruptive noises while you're on a call. You'll still hear the background noises yourself if you have the base model, but the more expensive ANC earbuds will silence background audio for both parties.
The fourth-generation AirPods also come with an AI-powered feature that lets you nod or shake your head in response to Siri. The AirPods will also be able to detect when you're talking to someone while listening to music, and will automatically lower your music's volume until you're done your real-life conversation.
Those with the second generation of Apple's existing AirPods Pro earbuds will also get a few hearing-related features soon via an over-the-air software update.
Users will soon be able to conduct hearing tests and track their results in Apple's Health app, and the AirPods Pro earbuds themselves will be able to act as hearing aids for those with hearing difficulties. Once set up, the hearing aid settings will be automatically applied to the user's apps, as well. There's also a hearing protection feature that's designed to block out loud noises to reduce potential hearing damage.
Apple hasn't received FDA approval for its hearing aid update just yet, but plans to roll the features out to users in 100 countries, including the US, sometime this fall.
The AirPods Max, Apple's over-ear headphones, also get a slight refresh. The headphones now come in five new colors: midnight, starlight, blue, orange, and purple. The new versions can also now be charged via USB-C.